


All Wrapped Up

by Basmathgirl



Series: Finding A Way To You [3]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Memory Loss, Secret Marriage, Secret Messages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-15
Updated: 2014-05-15
Packaged: 2018-01-24 23:06:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1620227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basmathgirl/pseuds/Basmathgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A post-JE (possibly mid-EoT) Donna kept receiving mystery gifts; but the DoctorDonna knew who they were from. The final gift arrives and Donna is set free. Well, almost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Wrapped Up

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters in this, but I do own the mug that originally inspired this, and a nice pendant. The song belongs to Tony Orlando.  
>  **A/N:** I’ve made up the name of the radio station, in case you were wondering. I’d have gone with the real station Heart FM but felt that you’d never believe that one. The song can be found [HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXOT_Vx2P74) or [HERE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqBhZj_37U)

As soon as Donna stepped in through the front door she felt that something had happened. It proved to be true when her mother threw her an accusing look.

“The City Link man came today,” Sylvia told her in an accusing tone, “and he left another package for you.” She had been more than surprised when the City Link van had drawn up outside her home and the courier had got her to sign for an enticing plastic wrapped parcel sent by someone from Cardiff, judging by the sender’s address on the label.

“And that’s wrong because...?” Donna had defiantly retorted. Why did her mother have to make every gift seem like some sort of doodlebug? 

Cutting open the innocent looking grey plastic, she found a small box containing loads of foam insulation packaging material holding in place a slender navy blue box; one that looked suspiciously like jewellery. Would Shaun have ordered her something when he could neither afford nor gain the gumption to do such a thing? 

It was certainly a puzzle.

Her consternation continued much further when she opened the lid and found lying flat on beautiful dark blue velvet, a necklace set. With a gasp of wonder, she stroked her fingers over the pendant held on a snake link chain. Although obviously made of some metal, the chain was not conventionally silver or gold in colour, but purple flecked with tiny star-like pieces. The pendant part was a delicate orb filled with swirling colours that was iridescent as she held it up to the light in order to examine the fine filigree work of the same metal.

Immediately the refracted golden light shone out to illuminate her face; giving her an ethereal quality to look at.

“Beautiful,” she murmured in awe. “Would you look at that! A warp star held in an isostatic Huon casing, inside Vinvocci glass. Magnificent.”

“You what?!” Sylvia questioned. “What the hell are you going on about, talking about stars in glass. Although I can see why you’d say that,” she continued as she peered over her daughter’s shoulder at the gift. “It must have cost Shaun a small fortune.”

“It isn’t from Shaun,” Donna confidently stated.

“Then who is it from?” As soon as the question was out of her mouth Sylvia regretted saying it. There was only one other possible person, and she refused to allow any mention of his existence, despite his recent meddling with the other gifts.

All Donna had done was smile back at her. The secret was hers to know, and hers alone.

That irked Sylvia, but she had to leave it be, otherwise her only daughter could die in front of her at any second. Biting her lip did prove to be extremely painful, she quickly found out as she halted further questions, and she could taste the blood on her tongue after a few minutes; but she gamely kept schtum.

Later that evening, Donna had sat in her bedroom, lifted the lid to gently hold up the pendant, and then with a flurry of excited anticipation she had put it on. Immediately a low buzzing golden light had crept over her skin like the aurora borealis, making her giggle with joy at the sensation. 

This was how it was supposed to be. Gentle. Slow. Like a lover’s kiss. He would be coming to her very soon; she could almost taste his essence in the air around her, so strong was the smell and feel of his mind. 

It was all so clear now. Why her memory had faded, why he had left her, how she had felt. There were no recriminations, no regret, just joy that she was able to understand whilst feeling calm. 

But there was more to learn. It wasn’t over yet. And she needed a signal from him to guide her home. Home to him.

As for Shaun, well, they no longer needed to make do with each other. Shame he was working nights otherwise she would have contacted him straight away. He would be home first thing in the morning; she would go then, as soon as possible.

Never mind. She could prepare in other ways until then.

Tomorrow would be her last chance to warn Shaun of the coming events. Then she would be gone.

~~

Donna sat in the driver’s seat of her car, took a deep encouraging breath, and started the engine. “Okay, here goes,” she announced to the empty seats behind her and her handbag sitting beside her. “Hopefully I won’t regret this.”

With a deft flick of her wrist, she turned on the radio, put the car in gear and pulled away. The soft strains of Golden London FM came from the radio. Yes, this is just what she needed; although she had the backup of Classic FM if things got really fraught.

In far too quickly a time she arrived outside Shaun’s home. Well, she ought to think of it as her home by now, but for some reason she had never internally awarded it that title. It remained as Shaun’s place. She parked in their allotted parking space, locked the car, and then gingerly made her way up the open staircase to the flat. It wasn’t too bad a location; being as it was within ten minutes travelling distance from her family, but it would never be called grand by anyone’s standards. ‘Reasonably priced’ is what the estate agent had described it as. ‘Cheap’ was nearer the mark. Beggars can’t be choosers, and she had no life savings to fall back on. Her bank account had been surprisingly empty when she had revived after her accident. Whatever she had done with her money from almost two decades of working as a temp, she certainly hoped she had enjoyed spending every last penny. 

Pulling out her key to open Shaun’s front door, she wondered if this would be the very last time she would do this. It was possible, depending on how he reacted. All she knew was she would have gone ballistic if someone had done it to her. Giving the door an encouraging shove with her foot when the wood didn’t yield, she burst into the flat. “Shaun, it’s me!”

The same music as she had been listening to in the car filtered out to her. 

“I’m in here!” Shaun called out from the living room, although he needn’t have done. He was perfectly visible from where she stood. “You look worried,” he commented when she walked in to where he had stayed sat down; and waited for his greeting kiss. He frowned in confusion when he didn’t get it. “What’s up?”

“Shaun,” she began, licking her lips nervously as she cautiously sat herself down further away than normal, “we need to talk.”

“That sounds ominous.” He had hoped by saying that he would have lightened the mood, but alas it didn’t work; it did quite the opposite. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

Attempting to unclench her hands and place them firmly on her knees, she began. “The thing is… God, I don’t know how to say this because it is going to sound terrible however I put it. The thing is, I like you, Shaun.”

“And I like you,” he replied, now worried where this was heading. “Are you about to say that’s all you feel?”

“I… Yes, that is exactly it,” she agreed. “I don’t deserve you because I don’t love you like you love me.”

“What’s brought this on?” he demanded. “I don’t understand. You were fine yesterday.”

“Was I, Shaun? I really don’t think I was. In a way I’ve been using you.” When he went to protest, she quietened him by saying, “Please hear me out. I was the one that pushed for marriage, not you.”

As that news sunk in, time ticked on, and he sat gazing at her in apprehension.

In the silence, the radio could easily be heard in the background, chiming out its light-hearted music. That is it did, until the DJ made an announcement when the song reached the end. “You’re listening to Golden London FM. We’ve been asked to give a special shout out to Donna from John. Today is their anniversary…”

“Which one?” Donna instantly asked.

“…and knowing my Donna she will have just questioned which one because we have three, John says. Some people are greedy, aren’t they listeners? Anyway, John says he’s been away and will be home very soon from fighting rebel forces.” The DJ giggled at this point. “Sounds like we have a Star Wars fan on our hands. He says he thinks of you each and every day; so this song is just for you.” 

A golden oldie then began to play, and Donna felt the tears well up in her eyes. 

“♫♪♫♪I’m coming home I’ve done my time, Now I’ve got to know what is and isn’t mine…♫♪♫♪,” the singer crooned.

He was almost there! The idiot. ‘Why had he used a perception filter the last time they had met?’ she wondered as more memories opened up.

“♫♪♫♪…If you receive my letter telling you I’d soon be free, Then you’ll know just what to do, if you still want me.♫♪♫♪”

Okay, she now knew why, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t have words as soon as she got hold of him. She knew exactly what to do now, down to the last detail. 

It was only then that she thought to look towards Shaun, and he sat transfixed as he stared at her. His face was a picture of anguish.

After moving his mouth several times to form his first question, he finally stammered out, “Who exactly is John, Donna? And don’t try to lie to me, please don’t.” 

“He erm…,” she stammered and desperately cleared her throat. “Has anyone ever told you anything about what happened before I had my memory loss accident?” He slowly shook his head to indicate ‘no’. “That a man who called himself John Smith brought me home the night of the planets. Nothing at all?!” she wondered in surprise.

“Nothing.” But Shaun felt his heart breaking just uttering that one word.

“We travelled together for a long time. There was… We had some sort of hippy wedding the first time we met, you see,” she said, trying to make it sound funny; but it wasn’t. “Then we met up again when I went looking for him, and we parted when we became one… Look, I know this sounds daft, and perhaps it isn’t considering how people assumed we were married before we were, but we belong together. He needs me, and I’m not bigging myself up when I say that. I’ve seen the consequences when I’m not there, so I dread to think what trouble he’s got into in the meantime.” 

“You married him before your accident?” Shaun managed to ask.

She quickly nodded. “Yes.”

“And he’s been away in the army, fighting somewhere,” Shaun continued his query.

“Well,” she considered, “he wouldn’t be pleased to be lumped in with the army but something like that.” 

Obviously Shaun thought the Doctor was a member of the Forces dealing with the current Middle East problems; so she let him. It was easier that way then blurting out she was married to an alien.

“Of course,” Shaun conceded. “You mustn’t commit bigamy. And fortunately we hadn’t done anything that could be used as adultery.”

It was true. Something within Donna had insisted on remaining celibate until the wedding; and thank goodness for that. It saved them dealing with a bucket-load of guilt. 

“So you understand my problem,” she noted. “We have to cancel the wedding. I am so sorry. If I had remembered earlier I could have saved us from all this.”

“What about your mum? Why didn’t she say anything?” he demanded to know.

How much should she admit? “Mum never approved of him, and she chucked him out the day he brought me home, so he didn’t tell her about our marriage. Daren’t, to be honest.”

“I can imagine,” he sympathised. “But he should have come back before now.”

“He doesn’t know about us,” she lied, knowing from a little chat with her Gramps that he did. “He’s been all over the place, so no one could get hold of him until now. But he’s coming home, like he said on the radio. The soppy fool knows that I always listen to that programme.” 

“This is the end, then.” Shaun gulped on the emotion. 

“We can still be friends,” Donna insisted as she rose up out of her seat to stand with purpose. “But thank you, Shaun Temple. Thank you for keeping me safe.”

He frowned at the usage of his full name. Since when did she talk that way? Anyway, he had to resign himself to the situation and wish her well. 

After a brief hug she was on her way. She had a vital errand to carry out before the day was done. 

~~

The Doctor could feel the radiation creeping through his body cells like a mud slide; fatally enveloping him just as much as any natural disaster. But he had to keep going; he had to try to see her before succumbing to the inevitable. It was what she deserved. 

With a twirl of the wrist, he landed in a spot that he knew would be right outside Donna’s home. Hopefully he hadn’t landed on Wilf’s car or the middle of the road again. That would be enormously embarrassing. 

He stepped out the TARDIS and walked straight into a tight band of something. Frowning, he looked down at his stomach and gasped with joy. There were several lengths of ribbon that had obviously been wrapped around something, or lying in wait for the TARDIS. Specifically, yellow ribbon. Oh, his Donna was good! She had bought a frame of sticks and ribbon that the TARDIS had landed completely within. It was an amazing joint effort on their parts.

As he thought it, she appeared in front of him, smirking whilst holding a pair of scissors. “I now declare this relationship well and truly reformed.” She then snipped through the restraining ribbon that halted his progress out the door. 

“May no man put it asunder,” he added; and grasped her hands within his, a beaming smile on his face. “I see you got my message.”

It was then that he spoilt the effect by stumbling and almost falling to the ground. Donna broke his fall before he completely injured himself.

“What’s happened to you? Tell me what to do,” she cried as she cradled his body. 

“Just a spot of radiation I got when I saved Wilf,” he tried to dismiss, and failed. “I’m sorry,” he added in a whisper. “I found a cure for you and killed myself. Not a clever move.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she soothed him, running her fingers carefully through his hair. “It couldn’t be helped. And fortunately I have a spare regeneration or two.”

“You mustn’t,” he went to protest, but she grabbed hold of his face and planted her lips upon his.

Immediately he felt the radiation being sucked out of his body and into hers. He shut his eyes in desperation as he expected a blaze of glory as she burned up before his very eyes.

“Donna!” he screamed, but there was nothing he could do but watch.

Instead she stopped midway through and shot him a cheeky grin. “That should be enough for us both to deal with.”

In joint mutual agreement, they both shot up onto their feet and danced about for several seconds.

Jiggling her foot about in time to him, they both ended up throwing off their shoes to eliminate the radiation from their systems, and burst into laughter at the joint enterprise. 

“Is it always like this with you?” she joking asked.

“Oh yes!” he happily replied, and pulled her into the TARDIS.

The doors quickly shut firmly and it dematerialised from sight. 

All that was left was two pairs of trainers facing each on the pavement as if worn by two invisible lovers. The irony was not lost on Wilf when he picked them up later. All he could do was chuckle with glee. 

His girl was back with His Lordship; just as it should be.


End file.
